Rob Keyes
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Play it all the way through and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter gives just enough to make what players see make sense, and help them go back to finish the overall story and pickup story elements that passed them by. There's enough beautiful - and at times, outlandish - imagery and story to overcome the game's problems so stick with it. By the end, the narrative wraps up beautifully.
And in the end, that's how we feel about the game. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is not very fun solo but is meant to be experienced cooperatively with friends. It supports two-player splitscreen and online play up to four. For fans of the series, the game's style and characters makes it easy to recommend to a group playing together. For everyone else, The Pre-Sequel isn't very special and would be better served as a shortened expansion for the the last game.
DriveClub is easily accessibly and highly recommendable, even for no other reason than the simple fact that it's the only new racer available on PS4 this year. It's slickly designed and just plain fun to play. There's room for improvement on the car selection, progression and customization, but what's there is a fun racer with some interesting social options that dedicated racers can take advantage of.
Destiny is the type of game where there's a lot to enjoy if you make the most of it. Putting in an effort to coordinate with others to tackle certain bounties or challenges is just plain fun, and the story and other stuff isn't required for that sort of cooperative experience. That's where Destiny is at its best and where it can build from in expansions and sequels. As the launching pad for a new franchise however, Destiny ultimately feels incomplete, yet it's still a game we can easily recommend for shooter fans. At the time of this writing I've put in 59 hours and 49 minutes into Destiny (my hunter and gear pictured above) and have acquired legendary or exotic gear for every weapon and armor slot. And I'm still interested in getting online to try the raid with friends so that speaks volumes to where Destiny succeeds and how much potential it has.
Watch Dogs is an origin story of sorts for a vigilante killer. Aiden Pearce is to Chicago what Batman is to Gotham, or more a more apt comparison would be to describe Pearce as more of a high-tech Punisher. The story is adequate to pull players through to the end and you can play much of the game approaching situations in your own, non-violent way, but the campaign forces extreme gunplay more than we wanted.
inFAMOUS: Second Son is essentially the best X-Men game that isn't an X-Men game and owners of superhero properties need to take a serious look at what Sucker Punch delivers with their PlayStation 4 debut title. Second Son may not offer much newness in terms of gameplay, story or progression, but polishes what we've come to enjoy from the series to date, bringing players a beautiful and fun game experience that's absolutely worth checking out. We're already looking forward to a sequel.
Players looking for a co-op experience will find something worth playing with friends casually in Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and it offers polished, harmless and simple gameplay that works for all ages but at a stiff price. The game as its currently designed however, seems to lend itself well to the free-to-play model, supported by microtransactions and we wouldn't be surprised to see it go that path in the future. Right now, there's only one barrier to entry and it's the price.
With more maps that support more playstyles, more modes, and necessary bug fixes, Battlefield 4 - like its predecessor - will go from good to great. At the moment, it doesn't do as much for players as Battlefield 3 does with its current set of offerings but it's only going to get bigger and better as time goes on.
For everyone else, the game should be skipped, outside of an eventual rental or bargain bin acquisition for friends looking for a two-player day of carnage. The Devil's Cartel represents another missed opportunity for the series to expand on gameplay and multiplayer features. While there's some fun dialogue and character moments, even some goofy self-referential commentary, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is an exercise in repetition and senseless action. It's a rather lazy effort for a game debuting the year the next-gen consoles are being introduced.
While maintaining the fun action and polish players expect and providing more solid co-op experiences, Gears of War: Judgment feels rushed, and immediately dated. It's a package missing too many elements replaced by gimmicks, and instead of taking the franchise forward, takes steps back in nearly every way. There's fun to be had in the more arcade-focused campaign, but its narrative offerings coupled with its less expansive multiplayer modes make Judgment the weakest game in the series, and something that feels more like a grouping of overpriced DLC expansions for Gears 3 that players arguably deserved for buying that season's pass.